The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Physocarpus opulifolius and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Gelesq’. ‘Gelesq’ represents a new cultivar of Physocarpus, a deciduous shrub grown for landscape use.
The new Physocarpus arose from a breeding program conducted by the Inventor at his nursery in Eefde, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new Physocarpus cultivars with a compact growth habit making them suitable for use as dwarf groundcovers.
The new Physocarpus originate from a controlled cross-pollination made by the Inventor in a field in his nursery in summer of 1995. The female parent was Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,211) and the male parent was Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Dart's Gold’ (Not patented). ‘Gelesq’ was selected as a single plant from a population of progeny derived from the cross-pollination in Eefde, The Netherlands in summer of 1997.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by stem cuttings by the Inventor in the summer of 1998 in Eefde, The Netherlands. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.